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Seats covered during the training-contract period may determine the area of practice that a solicitor will enter. The early years after qualification are spent gaining experience. Some solicitors will seek membership of specialist panels. It is generally accepted that you need to be an expert in a specific area of law in order to keep up with changes in legislation and practice, but it can be difficult to move from one area of specialism to another later in your career, so specialising immediately after qualification will probably limit future choices and you should take your choice of area very seriously.
In private practice, job titles vary, but progress is usually from trainee to assistant solicitor, followed by (senior) solicitor and then associate. Progression is likely to involve becoming the head of a department within the firm, with responsibility for that department’s profit levels and oversight of staff. It may be possible to become a salaried partner and finally an equity partner. This will depend on a combination of your experience and your level of earnings, and your willingness to make a financial investment in the firm.
Solicitors who practise in litigious areas may seek to be accredited with rights of advocacy so that they can represent their clients in court without the need to instruct a barrister. Details are available from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) . Solicitors who discover they have a talent for advocacy may choose to take the Bar examinations and become barristers.
Solicitors with several years’ experience of litigation in the magistrates courts may be appointed as justices’ clerks, who advise magistrates on the law (for information see LawCareers.Net .
Promotion prospects depend on the size of the organisation you work for and progression often involves a move to another employer. Solicitors who develop a reputation in private practice may move to become in-house lawyers, often as a result of being head-hunted.
Career development for in-house and local and central government solicitors generally follows a structure and quite often results in the solicitor moving, possibly sideways, into management.
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